The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is home to 26.5 million people. Because the average age of residents is 25, there are ample children, teens, and university students to keep the thousands of language teachers working hard. The KSA government is also involved in this with 5.6% of GDP spent on education (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sa.html). All of this means the community of language teachers is growing and developing in this desert kingdom. Because Saudi Arabia is so large in size, it was often difficult for language teachers to meet and share. This is where the role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Association of Language Teachers (KSAALT) came into play to help solve this problem. This article overviews where KSAALT came from, how it developed, and how it has helped and supported language teachers in KSA.

KSAALT was created out of this desire to serve, educate, and connect language teachers in KSA. So it had its beginnings in spring 2006 at a regional language teachers’ conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Philline Deraney, an English language instructor from KSA, spoke with John Schmidt from TESOL about the absence of a professional association for language teachers in KSA. Upon returning home, a group of language teachers started to meet about starting such an association. Eventually these people became the founding charter members (later called the executive council). They are, namely, Christine Evans, Doug Evans, Edith Lotti, Louis Dormier, Georgina Dornier, Amani Hamdan, and Philline Deraney.

KSAALT opened its doors to the public in February 2007 with its first monthly meeting. This meeting was a first big step with eight new members. Then, 28 people attended the March meeting and 58 people attended the April meeting. During this time of rapid growth, the charter members met to discuss how to become an affiliate of TESOL (e.g., requirements, strategy).

The KSAALT charter members were serious in making KSAALT eligible in becoming an affiliate of TESOL. To do this, they had to establish a number of activities that focused on serving the language teachers in KSA. They wanted KSAALT to provide venues for language teachers for networking and professional development. So there are five ways that KSAALT serves its members.

First, KSAALT Quarterly (or KSAALT Journal, as it is currently named)is a quarterly publication that has been going strong since 2007. It spreads awareness of KSAALT to the language teaching community through articles written by language teachers in KSA. Columns included in the newsletter are Tech News, Lessons That Work, and Opinion: What’s Your Two Halalahs?

Second, an annual international conference (every spring) was started (an annual mini-conference every fall was added later). Over the years, the KSAALT conferences would grow in quality and number of speakers and attendees. Some of the conference themes were “Engaging and Motivating Students in Language Learning” and “Exemplary Teaching: Theory and Practice.” This year, KSAALT held its fifth international conference and third mini-conference.

Third was monthly meetings. These were more informal, regional meetings that focused on serving nearby teachers. Now, each chapter has its own monthly meetings and leadership structure. At these meetings, one or two speakers spoke about an aspect of language teaching. Afterward, there is time to network.

Finally, in December 2007, KSAALT became the 100th affiliate of TESOL.

Over the years, KSAALT has grown. One way it has developed is through the establishment of chapters throughout KSA. Initially, KSAALT only held meetings in its founding region (al-Khobar). As popularity spiraled, four chapters were established in Riyadh, Jeddah, Yanbu, and Madinah. These additional chapters are to serve teachers situated there. To help different chapters grow, KSAALT held its 2012 conference in Jeddah (up to this year, it was solely held in al-Khobar).

In all the years that KSAALT has existed, it has worked hard to fulfill its mandate: to serve language teachers in KSA. It has done it in many ways. KSAALT expects to continue to grow in membership and quality.

David Berry started teaching children in South Korea. After earning an MA in TESOL, he moved to universities, first in South Korea, then later in the Gulf countries. It has been a growing experience where he has met many interesting people—both students and colleagues. Throughout that time, he’s been part of professional associations for language teachers: first KOTESOL in South Korea, then QTESOL in Qatar, and now KSAALT in Saudi Arabia. Now he is settled in Jeddah with his wife and children and working in a university.